I'm looking at getting the HCHII in the next month or two. I don't think I'll get the NAV built-in because I already have a Garmin StreetPilot III I use ALL the time. I'm a computer tech travelling all the time to people's homes/businesses to work on their computers. The SPIII has been wonderful, and the annual updates are only $75-$150. I only do the updates every other year and try to catch it when they have their pre-sale. I bought the SPIII from a friend when he got his SP2610. Since Garmin allows for 2 GPS units using one upgrade (as long as both units are registered under the same person), it costs us even less because we split the price. I would love to have the touchscreen that the SP2610 has, but I can punch an address in so quickly now using the up/down arrows it would only save me about 15 seconds if I had touch screen.

My question however is will a plug-in GPS have any considerable drain on the battery or FE (any more-so than the built-in HCHII NAV unit)? I always turn the SPIII off when I arrive at a destination.

 

I am planning on getting my HCHII at the end of the month! can't wait!!
Looking at the TMV report on edmunds and comparing with and without Nav, the invoice price difference is $1605.

With that cost I am leaning towards getting it w/o the NAV an purchasing a custom unit. I am looking for something which can play DVD movies (for my kids) on long trips as well as a good Navigation feature. I am also interested in getting the SIRIUS satelite radio functionality.

Has anyone done this with their HCH? How much should I expect to pay for a unit with installation which provides Nav/DVD/CD and is SIRIUS ready?

Thanks in advance,

-Rusty

 

You are looking at an Eclipse 5510 more than likely, and it will run you $1200ish plus install. You will need to set it up to deactivate it so it will display whilst driving down the road, but be aware that you can get a ticket for that! You might want to opt for a unit that has a Dual zone capability, i.e. can display GPS in front, and install a screen in the rear for the kiddies. More legal, and safer...

 

great thanks mikesus...

Yeah, the dual zone capability sounds perfect and much safer

 

When you shut the car off, a relay turns the power port off (I dislike that "feature", but it answers your question about battery drainage, I hope)

 

I recommend the Mio C310x. It's $189 from Fry's Electronics and still has free shipping.

A few benefits are the updates are free! ($185 for the HCH OEM), and it's very portable. Take it with you in ANY vehicle you're in. (car, boat, mountain bike, sneakers)

I have the $2K OEM Navi in my HAH, and love it. But if I had to do it all over again, I'd just have the Mio. I use the Mio in my wife's van all the time. It's a great nav unit and definitely recommend to anyone looking at getting a GPS device.

 

How are you mounting the MIO in your HCH? I use a Garmin I5 and have to hang it from a vent?

 

I mount it in my Odyssey with the included windshield mount.

At the bottom of this page is a pic of the mount.
http://www.miogps.com/US/products_c310xfeatures.htm

I'll take a pic of it later today and post it.

 

I'm about to get my HCH II w/ Navigation soon. Am I correct in that the navigation software does NOT speak street names? That's mighty disappointing if true. Even the navigation software that Verizon makes available for its cell phones has text-to-speech for street names. It's not a huge deal, but it does necessitate a glance at the screen to confirm which street you're about to turn onto.

I'm also disappointed the updates cost nearly $200. Maybe for substantial feature upgrades, but just map updates? Crazy.

 

Cheers to you,too)